What does shrapnel mean?
Shrapnel means the small pieces of metal, stone, or other material thrown out by an exploding shell, bomb, or similar device. The word comes from Henry Shrapnel, a British artillery officer who developed an explosive shell in the late eighteenth century that scattered numerous small projectiles. Originally, shrapnel referred to the shell itself; it later came to mean the fragments produced by such shells. Today, it can describe any dangerous debris scattered by an explosion, especially in reports of warfare or accidents. Figuratively, “shrapnel” may refer to a rapid spread of words, objects, or ideas, though this use is less formal. The word is common in British and American English, with “shrapnel wounds” and “shrapnel fragments” among its established expressions.
nounSmall fragments or pieces scattered by an exploding shell or other explosive device. In historical usage, the word also referred to the explosive shell itself.
- Small fragments or pieces scattered by an exploding shell or other explosive device.
- Historically, an explosive shell designed to release a shower of metal fragments.
"The explosion sent a shower of shrapnel across the courtyard."
"Soldiers behind the wall suffered injuries from flying shrapnel."
"The museum displays an early nineteenth-century shrapnel shell and its explosive charge."
Normally uncountable; when used as a countable noun, the plural is shrapnel.
"The walls were punctured by shrapnel."
Shrapnel is both a word for the deadly fragments of an explosion and the name of the British artillery officer whose invention made them famous.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shrapnel come from?
The word derives from the surname of Henry Shrapnel, a British artillery officer and inventor. His late-eighteenth-century shell was designed to burst in flight and scatter small projectiles, giving rise to the term. The sense for the fragments themselves developed from the earlier name for the projectile. There is no ancient or Indo-European root behind the word; its history is an example of eponymy, in which an inventor’s name becomes the common name for what he created.
How shrapnel is actually used
The word is commonly used for fragments produced by explosions, especially in military contexts. It can also be used figuratively for a large number of scattered words, ideas, or other items.
Easily confused with shrapnel
A fragment is any broken piece, whereas shrapnel specifically refers to pieces scattered by an explosive device.